Kim Possible: Christmas Among Friends
by CajunBear73
Summary: A Christmas Eve mission that goes badly leads to a surprising intervention from friends of Team Possible. Ron's returned and really steps up with Kim. First fic under my label. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
1. Chapter 1 Not today! Please not Today!

**Kim Possible: Christmas Among Friends**

A/N: A Christmas Eve mission that goes badly leads to a surprising intervention from friends of Team Possible.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. Any named items, movies or companies mentioned within are owned by their production companies. Any other characters created for this work of fiction are mine alone, except for those I'm 'borrowing' for this tale.

This is a strictly not-for-profit effort, and not intended to offend or upset anyone.

----

Chapter 1: Not Today! Please not today!

ZZzzzztttttttt! Blammm!

"_**Oh the weather outside if frightful / "But the fire is so delightful"**_

"Aw c'mon Dementor! It's Christmas Eve for Pete's sake! Just take the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer out of that laser cannon, put it on the ground, walk away and we'll call it a Christmas gift to you from us. Today only, not available in any stores!", called out Ron Stoppable from behind the massive pillar being hammered with the laser used by the diminutive tyrant as he fired another blast at the blonde partner of Team Possible.

"NEIN! I vill never gif you back ZHAT DEVICE! I need it to remove Team Possible zo I can continue MIT MY PLANS TO RULE ZE VORLD! Oh, and by ze way, vhere iz zhat LITTLE GIRLFRIEND OV YOURZ?", crescendo'd the overly compensating villain, before firing again at the rapidly fracturing stone structure.

"_**And since we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!**_

ZZzzzztttttttt! Boooommm!

"She's around… Hey, what the heck happened to that truce you villains agreed to, giving Kim and I a break until six months after the wedding?", shot back the professional distraction, hoping to distract Dementor from asking too many questions about the unseen leader of Team Possible.

"I vas never in agreement mit ZHAT ARRANGEMENT! I only went along vit it zo I could catch ze both of you vit YOUR GUARD DOWN, SURPRISING YOU VEN YOU LEAST EXPECTED IT UND TAKING YOU OUT! GUT PLAN JA?", as another laser blast reached out to the crumbling support beam on the far end of the lair.

"_**It doesn't show signs of pausing, And I've bought some corn for popping,"**_

ZZzzzztttttttt! KBoooommm!

"Oh yeah, real good plan! Really original you berserk little dwarf from a twisted 'Snow White' fairy tale!", countered Ron as he realized his position was being reduced to rubble around him and quickly ran to another column.

"Ja, you should appreciate it if you vould haf studied any of your WORLD WAR II OR VIETNAM WAR HISTORIES! Especially how a truce allowed enemies of your country to stage MAJOR ATTACKS AGAINST YOUR MILITARIES! Does 'Zhe Battle OF ZHE BULGE' OR 'ZHE TET OFFENSIVE' MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU, MEIN HERR?"

"Yeah, I think I remember something of that from Barkin's history classes in high school. But I thought you were more original than that."

"Hey if vorked against your countrymen more than ONCE, VHY NOT ONE MORE TIME? AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

"_**The lights are turned way down low, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"**_

ZZzzzztttttttt! KBlammmm!

"So, where are all your henchmen? I didn't see any of them when I came into the building. Did you give them time off for the holidays?", hoping to distract Dementor's gloating.

"Ja, as a matter of FACT, I DID! It IZ the Christmas HOLIDAY'S AFTER ALL!", gleefully jabbing Ron with his own brand of irony as he fired again.

"_**When we finally kiss goodnight, How I'll hate going out in the storm!"**_

ZZzzzztttttttt! Blammmm!

"Yeah, that must explain the music and the really festive decorations you've got put up here. After what you've pulled today, you weren't expecting a visit from Santa Claus were you?", bantered back the random-minded member of Team Possible.

A huge lair, even by Dementor's standards, the place was a wide open area, supported by massive columns widely spaced out and decorated for the rapidly approaching holidays. Dementor had his PDVI powered laser cannon situated on a platform located at one end of the lair that was decked out as if it was a study. Complete with several bookcases along the wall there, was a dark oak, ornate desk and chair set on one end, and a leather couch on the other end of the platform. There even was a flocked, ornamented, tinseled, and star-topped Christmas tree beside the stone hearth, Yule-log burning fireplace and chimney. Christmas music playing throughout the lair's sound system. He even had a grandfather clock, showing that midnight was close at hand, amongst the furnishings and decorations. The only thing out of place in that setting was the massive laser cannon bolted down onto the platform, otherwise it was a scene out of a college professor's home at Christmas-time.

"_**But if you'll really hold me tight, All the way home I'll be warm"**_

"Again, Ja! I only had one wish FOR CHRISTMAS AND TAKING TEAM POSSIBLE OUT WAZ IT! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!", raged Dementor as he fired at Ron again.

ZZzzzztttttttt! Bloooomm!

"_**But as long as you love me so, Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"**_

'_We really did not need this to come up, today of all days'_, ran through Ron's mind while standing behind another support column he had run behind as he brushed the rubble and dust off of his shirt and pants. _'It's almost Christmas, tomorrow's our wedding, and to top it all off, we just discovered a week ago that Kim's a little over a month pregnant with our first child!'_

----

Now twenty-one years old, Kim and Ron were well on their way to graduating from the University of Middleton in the upcoming spring. Ron majored in Culinary Arts with a minor in Business Administration while Kim double majored in International Criminal Law and Law Enforcement. At first rooming together in secret in an apartment just off campus, Kim's dad didn't learn of this arrangement until late in the fall semester during a surprise visit he made with the missus just as finals was gearing up for the two of them. The distraction of their first experience with those exams kept the both of them from camouflaging Ron's presence as her roommate, something they had done so successfully earlier in the semester.

Though not originally happy with his Kimmie-cub's choice of roommate, James Possible relented from sending his first born's boyfriend to the nearest black hole when Ron popped the question at the next Christmas celebration in the Possible family's home. Ron surprised Kim, and everybody else there, while at the annual Christmas-palooza and light show that they were known for by every nation which had a space agency and/or astronauts or cosmonauts in space during that holiday.

Shortly after the proposal Kim and Ron decided that no matter what year they decided to get married, Christmas was to be the day of their blissful union. They had so many very happy memories of that holiday, and it was decided very quickly that this was one more that they should add to the vast emotional scrapbook that was in their hearts. For Kim it was a time when she had so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to. For Ron, it was everything wonderful and loving he had come to know from being in Kim's presence all those years. The fact that the both of them acted like little kids for the day didn't hurt either. It was a no-brainer for the two of them.

Neither of them let the memories of Ron's solo mission with Drakken during their Junior year in high school darken their feelings for that holiday. The joy Kim felt when she found Ron at the North Pole after the tearful, soul-wrenching dread she experienced was the happiest moment she remembered of that day. Fearing he was dead in DrakForce-One when it blew up in space, and then the hope shattering world-wide search through six painfully empty escape pods was almost too much for her. This feeling of loss and emptiness she felt for her BFF stayed with her until "X-treme X-mas" lead her, by way of Shego, to that garbage pod on top of the world where she found her future fiancé safe and sound, singing 'Snowman Hank' songs while having a Christmas Party at the North Pole with her arch-enemy.

As for Ron, at the time he was worried about surviving with Drakken and the little food they had at hand until that polar bear showed and almost made a meal out of him. Afterwards each learned of the other's membership in the 'Nation of Snowman Hank' and a truce was struck, shelving any and all 'take over the world schemes' until after the New Year's holiday had passed. In the following years, Drakken insisted a Christmas Truce between the super-villains and Team Possible be made and kept, which Ron gleefully accepted with Kim's eye-rolling, though brightly smiling, acquiescence taking place shortly afterward.

Though Drakken was no longer a supervillain he still had some sway in the villain community and used it to call for Christmas Truces every year since the failed DrakForce-One attempt of his to take over the world. After having saved the world with Team Possible and his flower power from the Lowardians, he felt even more grateful to be celebrating the holiday. This particular truce brokered by Drakken, at Shego's mock displeasure, called a halt to all supervillains' plans for world conquest or eliminating Team Possible until six months after the wedding (Of course they were invited to the wedding! Shego even consented to be a bridesmaid as well.). With the recent discovery of Kim's impending motherhood, Ron was first to suggest that they see if it could be extended until a couple of months after the happy event. So far though, no one but Team Possible, their immediate families and their doctors knew about Kim's pregnancy.

Since GJ had yet to be informed of this development with Kim, there was no reason for Dr. Director to hesitate when she, via Wade, called out the world's premiere PDVI retrieval team after Dementor, once again, had stolen that troublesome little coffee can of extreme energy and dimension warping capability. On top of that seal of approval from GJ, Dr. Director sheepishly mentioned that her resources were stretched pretty thin just now. With so many out on holiday or vacation, she had nearly all remaining agents occupied with rescue missions, dealing with terrorists or tracking down clues to some hidden plot taking place during the truce. Team Possible was pretty much all she had available to deal with this sitch.

This close to their wedding and Christmas itself, Kim reluctantly said that she and Ron would talk about taking the mission. This coming, after Ron nearly went 'whack-ape' during Dr. Director's insistence that they take this mission. Kim and Ron ended the call from Dr. Director so they and Wade could discuss this request before giving her an answer. When Kim called back to accept the mission it was only because of Ron's, unknown to GJ, implicit orders that she stay safe and keep her exposure to the weapon using the PDVI to a bare minimum. Only when it was absolutely safest for her to pop out and take the device, was Kim to appear and remove it from the latest weapon-du jour. Ron was to be in full out distraction mode to make sure she would not have that cannon pointed at her, ever. When the mission was over, Ron and Kim would inform Dr. Director personally of Kim's pregnancy and have her put Team Possible on inactive reserves with GJ for the duration.

Knowing how easy it was for hackers of the caliber of Wade Load to gather nearly any information from GJ computers, Kim and Ron had decided to inform Dr. Director at the wedding and to make it only something that she would personally be aware of, not officially. With items like the PDVI always being stolen, or secret information being constantly gleaned by hackers from GJ computers, it was determined that it was best this was kept out of their computers altogether. They also figured after a few months further into the pregnancy it would be public knowledge anyway, but this way they would have a head start on keeping prying eyes from intruding too soon on the new family.

So, after a short flight via a GJ hovercraft to Colorado Springs, they caught a very fast ride in a highly secret Air Force jet to an airbase in southern Germany. From there they hopped a stealthed and cloaked GJ hovercraft to Dementor's lair where they landed a short distance from it in order to hike the last several hundred yards uphill. Ron was taking no chances parachuting in with Kim being pregnant, much to her annoyance and his glee at not parachuting at all. Besides he felt it was 'his honor' to walk the rest of the way to the lair. Kim was tweaked a bit at this little reminder of 'days of Yori past', but didn't hold it against him as she made it to the entry point ahead of him after a brief snowball fight before starting to the lair. He lost so badly…

----

ZZzzzztttttttt! Blaaaaaaaamm!

As if the moment wasn't surreal enough, the Elvis version of "Blue Christmas" began playing over the lairs sound system.

"_**I'll have a blue Christmas without you"**_

'_With Dementor's hacking of Kim's supersuit back in high school, we had to leave it behind, so Kim's got no shielding to protect her if something goes wrong. Good thing I left Rufus with Kim to help her if something comes up that I can't help her with. We figured that the Bavarian Napoleonic Complex here had a wireless signal from his controller running just in case she did wear the suit here. Wade's initial scanning found it so we dodged a major bullet here. We also figured he would start firing at the first thing he saw, so with me distracting him like this Kim would be free to sneak up on him from another direction. Looks like it worked Hope distracting him gets Kim to where she can take this whack munchkin down so we can go home in time for our wedding. I'm glad that Rufus is with Kim to help protect her right now, there's no way I could do that from here'_, mused the moving target, tiring from dodging the blasts from Dementor's cannon, moving in time to the latest tune coming from the whacked gnome's speakers overhead.

"_**I'll be so blue just thinking about you"**_

'_For a small guy, he sure has some very large lairs, especially this one in the German alps. 'Must be compensating for something', I'm sure Kim would say. She should be near that air duct just to the side of that platform any time now, so I'd better get ready for one last broken field run away from that side of the room. My mad running away skills combined with what I've learned from playing running back in high school, should come in handy for this last burst of distraction here. I just wish there was more to hide behind on the floor of this lair. It is wide open between that cannon and where I am hiding.'_

"_**Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree"**_

' _Man, it's nearly midnight here and I just want to go home, get married to Kim and enjoy Christmas again with the fam'_, wandered the mind of the Christmas groom-to-be.

"_**Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me"**_

'_Head in the game, Ron!'_, came a familiar voice in his head as Ron imagined his Kim getting him focused again. _'Yeah, I'd better get my head out of the clouds and ready for this last run. I think I can see Kim's hair in the vent so it's almost show time! Hope my mystical monkey power doesn't go on the fritz today. It's been much more consistent the last couple of years since the 'Graduation Mission', but sometimes it picks and chooses when it wants to come out and play. Today had better not be one of those days when it decides to take a vacation on me and Kim .'_

"_**And when those blue snowflakes start falling"**_

----

Though Ron had assumed the Mantle of the Ultimate Monkey Master when he personally took down Warmonga and Warhok at his and Kim's high school graduation, going 'Full Monkey' on the aliens, his track record with the Mystical Monkey Power was not as consistent within him since that day. As the master of the power he should have been able to draw on the power as naturally as breathing, according to Sensei, but since that mission there were times when he had to really concentrate to call the power out.

The best thing that could be figured out by he and Sensei, was that Kim had been the key. Should his beloved be in a sitch that called for his MMP to come out, it flowed like water over a fall, otherwise Ron had to concentrate somewhat to call it into play. It was kind of like when he had to flicker through the Lotus Blade to change the sword into a form that could help he and Yori escape Fist and his monkey ninjas during his first visit to Yamanouchi. Otherwise, it was sometimes hit or miss when he needed the MMP. Sensei said that he would search the scrolls of the Prophecy further and meditate as well on the topic. Anything he would find would be shared with Ron. But Ron got the feeling that Sensei knew something more about this sitch than he was letting on to the young man, but didn't say anything to the elder Master. He figured he would, as always, get to the bottom of the sitch on his own after Sensei was cryptic about something.

As for Kim, when she learned all about Ron's powers, training, Yamanouchi and the Prophecy, she was at first completely blown away and a bit concerned and afraid of what she saw _her Ron_ do to those aliens. But after seeing Ron in action with the Lowardians, she realized how he was so much different with her in comparison to what she had seen him do with them. Especially when she learned what her fate would have been had he not stepped up 'Monkey Style' in that moment. She then relaxed, searched her heart, and felt deep within her that this man would never just hurt anyone for no good reason, let alone, his KP.

Still this didn't help Ron over whatever was holding him back from calling the power within him at will. He felt the frustration, as did Kim, but neither pressed the other about this, letting him work on it on his own. She supported him no matter what, and said whatever help he needed from her, she'd be glad to offer. However, she stressed, she loved him no matter what the sitch was with his MMP. She had loved him before she knew of the power and has no reason to stop loving him just because he isn't fully in control of this either. It would work itself out and besides 'the MMP was just icing on 'a very big cake' with him as far as she was concerned. She did all she could to comfort him when he was at wits end, and from all of that comforting they grew so much closer in the process, hence her upcoming motherhood.

----

"_**That's when those blue memories start calling"**_

Now back to the present, Ron sat waiting for the signal that his soon-to-be-bride had made it to her position so he could start his last distraction as a bachelor.

At seeing the flash of Kim's hair in the vent, Ron starts his run to the other side of the lair away from her entry point to the platform. With the cannon, once again firing at the newest burst of distracting moves by the All Conference ex-running back from MHS, class of 2007, Kim broke through the vent to the side of Dementor and ran at the cannon on platform. As she ran up behind the cannon, a barrier of some sorts appeared in front of her and Kim bounced off and to the side of Dementor, just in his view.

"_**You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white**_

"Zo zhere you are, HERO-THIEF! I vondered where you vere. When I at first did not zee you mit your buffoon of a SUPPOSED BOYFRIEND in ze FRONT, I zhought it vould not be long FOR YOU TO APPEAR FROM BEHIND ME! Looks like I vas CORRECT, hence zhe shield TO PROTECT ME FROM AN AMBUSH BY YOU!", ranted the outdoor-voiced, height-challenged villain.

"He's not a buffoon Dementor! And he's going to be more than my boyfriend in a few hours. And as for the 'Hero-Thief' thing: You know this was taken care of when I was in high school and we proved, without a doubt that Drakken was responsible for tricking me into 'reacquiring' that Transportulator from you. Now if you please, just give up and hand over that Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, we've got a wedding to attend! OURS! And IT'S CHRISTMAS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!", countered a very tweaked, emotionally-addled, hands on hips Kim Possible after she rose up from the floor.

"_**But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas"**_

"Sctealing, reacquiring, tomato, tomahto. Makes no DIFFERENCE TO ME! And as for the Inducer, not a chance MY LITTLE LIEBCHEN! Zince I cannot hit that verdamnt BUFFOON OV YOURZ, I guess I'll HAVE TO ZETTLE FOR YOU INZTEAD!", yelled the helmeted villain as he swung his cannon over to point at the red-headed hero who froze at the realization that there was more than her own life at stake right now.

"You haf seen what zis cannon can do to all zhat I HAF HIT IT WIT, zo you can only IMAGINE vat vill HAPPEN ven IT HITS YOU!", he continued as he began to fire at Kim, standing right in front of the laser cannon, not 20 feet away from its muzzle.

"_**You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,"**_

Upon hearing this exchange Ron stopped, ice cold fear filling his being, as he saw the cannon now pointing at his fiancé'.

'_NO! This is what I feared could happen and, darn it, we just didn't figure on him having a force field of some kind in place to keep him protected like this. Got to get his attention and keep that cannon from firing on KP and the baby!'_

"Yo, hey Dementor! Which dwarf was your favorite in 'Snow White'? I bet it was Grumpy since you both have the same personality! Was he like your great-great grandfather or something?" Upon seeing no change in the pointed direction of the cannon, Ron tried again to get the angry little villain's attention.

"Hey Demenz! How is it that this lair is so huge and I can hear you from way over here just like we are standing a few feet away from each other?"

"Ze ACOUSTICS!", was all Ron heard as Dementor reached for the trigger, intending to end his love's life in the laser blast. At this, the young MMP-laden man went into action.

"_**But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas"**_

Ron's body suddenly glowed bright blue, clear across the massive domed-football-stadium-sized-lair one moment, appearing between Kim and the laser cannon the next. Standing tall, facing the cannon, his arms out wide, shielding the mother of his unborn child from the beam reaching out to her, there came a blinding flash, followed by the explosion of the laser impacting Ron's MMP-charged body. At this moment, the grandfather clock Dementor adorned the platform with struck the first tone of the Westminster-chimes song, announcing midnight in the lair. In the days after this mission, Wade was able to reconstruct video and audio footage captured in Kim's wrist Kimmunicator and noted that the first notes of the clock and the laser impact with Ron were simultaneous.

When the dust settled and Kim's eyes adjusted from the blinding light that resulted from that laser flash and Ron's MMP, her ears making out the slow tones and chimes of the grandfather clock in the background, she looked around for her fiancé, but could find no trace of him. Anywhere.

"Ron? Ron, where are you?", she called out as she began to look in the area around her where she last saw her BFBF. Rufus, hearing Kim's pleas, came out of the cargo pocket he was curled up in to help with the search. After a short while it became apparent that Ron was nowhere to be found. The clock finally coming to the end of it's song marking the hour, it slowly began to chime the countdown to Twelve O'clock. "Blue Christmas" finishing as the music paused a bit before going to the next tune.

---- Bong!---

----Bong!---

----Bong!---

Panic starting to rise in her, tears trickling down her cheeks, Kim started to frantically search for her love, desperately calling out for him. Within moments Kim fell to her knees on the floor, tears flowing, beginning to sob in the realization that her life-long best friend, her mission partner, her boyfriend, her lover, her fiancé and the father of her child was no longer among the living. The clock's chime striking it's fourth tone in the count as it continued to it's destination.

----Bong!---

"_**Silent night, holy night"**_

----Bong!---

----Bong!---

"_**All is calm, all is bright"**_

----Bong!---

"Please Ron, where are you? Don't do this to me! I need you. We.. need you. Please…. come…back to… me….to.. us. I.. we… love…you" , she cried out in soulful pain and deep despair as her sobs turned to wails of sorrow as she hugged herself, holding her hands over where their baby was starting to grow within her. Tears streaming down her cheeks. The tones now sounding out it's eighth.

"_**Round young virgin Mother and child"**_

----Bong!---

Dementor, in his delight, just could not resist taking further verbal shots at the super hero in her moments of torment, horrendous loss, and his ultimate victory.

"_**Holy Infant so tender and mild"**_

----Bong!---

"YES! I've finally rid the VORLD of zhat PESKY BUFFOON ZIDEKICK! Once and for all, HE'Z GONE! Now to finish OFF ZHE HERO-THIEF AS VELL! I vill let my cannon fully recharge ZO I can be zure MY HANDIWORK IZ COMPLETE! Please give my regards to HIM VHEN YOU ZEE HIM AGAIN Oh, and by zhe vay, MERRY CHRISTMAS FRAULEIN POSSIBLE!"

----Bong!---

Amidst the evil joyous laughter of the little helmeted villain and the swinging of the laser cannon into realignment for a point-blank shot on the red-headed super hero, came one last cry from her as the cannon was recharging:

"_**Sleep in Heavenly Peace"**_

----Bong!---

"No! Not today! Please, not today! Dear God please, not today!", came shuddering from Kim as she tearfully looked upward to the heavens. Her green eyes shimmering in the lights as she quietly whispered. "We love you Ron."

The cannon flashed once more, the room lit up as brightly as ever as the clock struck it's twelfth tone.

ZZzzzztttttttt! BOOOMMMM!!!/----Bong!---

"_**Sleep in Heavenly Peace"**_

----------

"Let it Snow" created by Sammy Cahn and Jules Styne.

"Jingle Bells" composed by James Pierpoint.

"Blue Christmas" Words and Music by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson, 'sung here' by Elvis Presley

"Silent Night" written by Joseph Mohr.


	2. Chapter 2 Among Friends

**Kim Possible: Christmas Among Friends**

A/N: A mission on Christmas Eve that goes badly leads to a surprising intervention from friends of Team Possible.

Guys, all I can say is thank you for your review and faves. So for all of you who haven't reviewed, no problems, I just hope you enjoyed this so far. As for the following, egg nog and/or whatever libation you would like is on me: **General Quin, Ran Hakubi, lxk, spectre666, Samurai Crunchbird, JAKT, Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, Sir Sebastian, Bubbahotek, Gibsonmar, Data Seeker, Molloy and Drakonis Aurous**. It is my hope that you continue to enjoy this tale and if you have any advice to offer, I'm gonna listen.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. Any named items, movies or companies mentioned within are owned by their production companies. Any other characters created for this work of fiction are mine alone, except for those I'm 'borrowing' for this tale.

This is a strictly not-for-profit effort, and not intended to offend or upset anyone.

----

Chapter 2: Among friends

'_Ok, now where the heck am I? First thing I know I'm being used as target practice by a pompous, anger management reject from 'It's a Small World' who is armed with the most powerful laser cannon in the world. Then I see him lining up a shot on KP at point blank range with the stupid thing.'_ Heavily shuddering at the memory of that huge laser cannon aimed at his love.

'_Next thing I know I'm standing in front of the cannon, my world lights up and now here I am, still in my mission gear, standing in front of… a large wrought iron… gate?….on a cloud?'_, Ron thought as he took in his surroundings, his head swiveling as he looked around.

In front of the young man, about 15 feet away, was indeed, a gate flanked by a tall, solid fence of stone-like material that went on as far as the eye could see in either direction from said gate. He then noticed that he was, in fact, standing on what he determined 'looked' like a cloud. In looking directly away from the gate the cloud seemed to go on forever.

The funny thing was that when he tried to look through the gate, he could not, and was about to walk to it to look through the bars when he heard something coming up from behind him. Turning to see who or what was approaching, he let out one of his patented 'screams of courage' and jumped as high as he ever had in his life, up to then anyway, when he saw what looked like a child-sized blue monkey walking up to him.

"Ahhhh, monkeys! Why does it always have to be monkeys? Even here!?", began the startled young man.

"Ok Ron. Stop with the ranting about monkeys", calmly replied the blue simian. "We both know that you'd gotten over that phobia during your freshman spring at college when you and Chippy saved Kim from that runaway exhibit in the zoo that Monkey Fist sabotaged in the Monkey House. In fact, you were so chummy with the inhabitants of that exhibit for helping save your girlfriend, that you ignored Kim for the rest of the day to swing from the trees there and just hang out. Kim got so tweaked that she cut you off from sex for a week."

"Ok, ok, lets not bring up such bad memories like that one. Sheesh, it was bad enough living through it the first time, I don't need to be reminded of it again. It's just that I still get startled when I see a monkey suddenly. I guess it's something that won't go away. Just like..", started Ron.

"Memories of Wannaweep", finished the blue monkey, as Ron shuddered.

"Ok, nice finish. Am I always this predictable, or have you done some background work on me?"

"Well, you've always been somewhat predictable, and it wasn't all that hard to dig up information on you. You've been an open book for quite some time. That's why you've ended up here for the time being. There are some people here who want to have a talk with you before sending you on your way, wherever that may be."

"Alright, where are they and what do they want with me? And… while I'm thinking about it will you tell me where I am and who you are? I've got an idea of where I might be, and if so, then my fiancé Kim and my unborn baby may be just behind me", replied the harried blonde as he slumped where he stood. "I kind of left KP and the little one in sort of a bad sitch when I last saw her."

"No you did not, and no they will not be coming up just yet", came a voice from the wrought iron gate behind Ron. "She is in no danger at the moment, even though she's staring down the barrel of Professor Dementor's PDVI powered laser cannon." Walking up to him is a rather large Oriental Man who appears to be dressed as an ancient Samurai, dressed in armor with a _very familiar_ sword on his back. At this Ron starts to pale and is visibly shaking, his eyes darting, looking for a way to somehow return to stop his love from being zapped by that laser.

"It's ok. Now stop worrying and .."

"What do you mean, 'It's ok'? Kim's in trouble and I've got to get back there and help her get out of it!", screamed Ron.

"No, I mean stop your worrying about that for now. There is nothing you can do and she is in no immediate danger, trust me, I am certain of this. Now come over to this table and benches so we can explain to you what is going on before meeting with the others who want to speak with you too." At this Ron noticed what looked like a 'picnic table' and 'benches' rising out of the cloud he is standing on. They all sit down, the blue monkey across from Ron and the Samurai. Ron turns to the Samurai as he begins to speak.

"Now as to who we are. First of all I am Toshimiru, the first wielder of the Lotus Blade, founder of the Yamanouchi School, and the first human master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar." Ron nods at this declaration.

Pointing to the blue monkey, he continues: "Before you is Tai Shing Pek Kwar itself. Here is all of what that form of Kung-fu is. Mystical, martial, spiritual, everything. This is what you called upon when you've needed that mystical power to help you watch your beloved's back, if you will."

"Tai Shing was with you when you first called the sword to change shapes for you and Rufus in your battle with Monkey Fist in Japan. This is what manifested itself to you when you called the sword back and when you and your sister Hannah battled Fist again with the Yono later at Yamanouchi. Later still, he, if you will, was with you to defeat those Lowardians who wished to mount your love on a wall as a trophy after they conquered Earth." At this Ron's eyes narrow and his face grows taut.

"And lastly, he was with you when you moved across three hundred feet of open space in much less than the blink of an eye to shield your soulmate from that laser cannon blast of that sadistic", 'Snort', "housecoat wearing baka in Germany. He is always there for when you call upon him. It has frustrated him so when you are so reluctant to call upon his power to help you in your work with your consort to save the world. He wishes to work with you about that reluctance if he may. But that will come after you meet with those who have called you here", finished Toshimiru.

"I see. Well, about that. I don't really know about all of that with me, but I what I am wondering is if I could get back and keep Kim from getting hurt or killed by Dementor. And… by the way, you haven't told me where I am." At this the first Monkey Master nods.

"Sooo, just where am I? I'm kind of scared of what the answer might be, since it could mean that I'm…"

"Dead?", came a new voice from the gate that Toshimiru walked through earlier. "No, Ronald Dean Stoppable, you are most assuredly not dead. Just not in the land of the living for the moment."

Turning around, Ron and Toshimiru saw a man with brown hair, beard, eyes, wearing sandals, and a white flowing robe-like garment belted by a simple rope. His face just glowed with kindness and love as he looked out at the young man. Standing beside him Ron saw another man, a bit larger with flowing white hair and beard and was similarly dressed like the first man who spoke to him. Childhood memories of someone that Rabbi Katz talked about in the children's religious studies classes he taught when Ron was much younger came to mind just then about the second man. Ron also noted that these two were not alone; standing with them were quite a few other men, and some women. They all were in various forms of clothing from the different cultures, different times of the planet.

The other people, he realized, were from the different races and peoples of the Earth, that Ron recognized from an elective Religion History class he took in college. They came from one time or another in the planet's history of the religious. Behind them all, at the gate, was a form of a human that was difficult to make out as the being radiated so bright a light, that it kept Ron from looking directly at the being.

After blinking a bit to get his vision back, he turned back to the latest person to join their conversation, who continued. "Welcome to Heaven Ronald. Though you are on the outside, you are most assuredly there, and these", he said while motioning at the wrought iron gates, "are the Gates of Heaven. You aren't on the inside because you _are_ still alive and will continue to remain alive for many years to come. Of course you can't be told anything about when it is your time to come home. I hope you realize this." Ron pales and nods slowly.

Ron then asked, "Well, if I'm not dead, then why am I here? How did I get here and what's going to happen to me while I'm here? If I'm not dead can I go back? Like now? I really need to get back there right away. KP's in trouble and I need to have her and our child's backs", he said, panic rising in him, while standing quickly.

"Not to worry Ronald. She and the babies are just fine." Stunned, Ron freezes then slumps back to the bench as the significance of this statement hits home.

"Babies? Did you just say babies? As in 'more than one'?"

"Yes, Ronald, more than one. Two very beautiful babies, in fact. They have the best of their mother and father, mixed in with what makes each of you very special. You and Kim will be so proud of them, and your other children, as they grow up. Now we are a little disappointed that you and Kim didn't take things a little slower in regards to how they came about, but we know that in your hearts both of you were going to make things right all around. So take care of them, ok?"

Ron looks a bit sheepish at this and blushes before nodding.

"But for now you haven't been brought here to discuss your children. We," gesturing to those around the table with Ron, Toshimiru and Tai Shing Pek Kwar, "brought you here the moment you were impacted with that laser at the stroke of midnight, Christmas morning in that lair. A little bit of mysticism, religion and monkey business, if you will", he finished, chuckling a little.

"So just sit there and listen for a spell. You are among friends and some of us want to talk to you about something that is very important for you, Kim, your children and all the other innocents of the world you live in." Ron again nods, and the younger, kind gentleman continues.

"First of all we wanted to impress on you the importance of the work you and Kim do as Team Possible. What you do helps so many innocent people. Be it getting a cat out of a tree, to the delivering goods to someone in need, to rescues and searches, from the interruption of those who are out to hurt others, or worse, to finally, taking on some of the most vile of the villains in the world to stop whatever plans they have to bring so much darkness down upon the world. The work the both of you do bring so much relief, joy, happiness and outright justice to so many in the world." At this Ron looks away, back again then nods once more.

"Then there is what you represent to so many of the world. In you and Kim, so many see hope for themselves and others, as well as a shining example of what someone could aspire to be, or what they could do for others if they at least make the effort. It doesn't matter that they don't have the talents, skills, or powers that either of you have, they just have to start using what _they_ possess to work towards making the world a better place for others. The both of you are quite an inspiration to so many in the world you live in", continued the second man with them.

"At times what you do is so effortless and so easy to accomplish. At other times it seems to be just so hard and you feel that you won't succeed, but then something happens in your favor and all is well once again", said an oriental man who was just to the side of the table.

"Then afterward, don't you feel as if maybe you could have done more, been more, become more to help your partner while she leads the way in whatever the both of you are taking part in?", from a little woman who appeared to be from the southern end of the Asian continent. Here Ron looks a bit sheepishly at her and nods slightly.

"But you just don't know what you could have done, or just decide that it is better that Kim takes on the bulk of the work as she seems to be more than capable to do this, or that it is just expected that she would do it all herself anyway?", says a man who appears to be from sub-Saharan Africa. A look of recognition at this scenario comes over Ron as he just looks at the man.

"Yet after a while, you find yourself thinking that maybe she would be better by herself, that you are just in her way, that maybe she should get more competent help in these works of yours, believing she could do so much better than you as you find yourself in the background?", said a woman with a French accent. Again he nods, looking a bit saddened.

"However, you have within you and you know that it is within you, the means of being a more capable, more competent, partner with Kim in your activities with her. Whether it is to just to save a cat, or retrieve someone from a raging river, or assist Kim in taking down some supervillain, you have inside of you the means of completely stepping up and being more than you feel you are in all of that", came from a Native-American man. Ron sucks in a breath at this and starts to shake a bit as he nods.

"You hesitate to call this to you and embrace it fully, don you not?", asked Toshimiru, as Ron looked down somewhat sheepishly. He nods slightly and takes in a long slow breath of air before looking up again, with tears in his eyes.

"Why do you hesitate? And why do feel this way about not calling it to you, fully embracing it?", continued the ancient Samurai.

Looking off in the distance, Ron replies, "As you all are probably aware, I've never been the most confident person, and I've never felt that I was capable of handling that kind of power; that I even deserved to have something like that in my hands. I just don't know if I can handle it so I am absolutely frightened of fully embracing all of that power." He looks around and sees several people nodding to him to continue.

"You've seen what happened to Monkey Fist when he received his part of the Mystical Monkey Power. I have been terrified that this could happen to me. That if it did, that I'd hurt KP, my family, friends, or anyone else, even the bad guys. I didn't believe I could keep from becoming what he was." Gentle smiles appear all around him, all slightly shaking their heads in the negative.

"Then there is the fear that I could become Zorpox again. I really don't want to consider what could happen if he got loose with that power coursing through me", Ron finishes with a hard shudder running through his body.

"So you see, it all comes down to me not believing that I could handle this power, being afraid of that much power and that a part of me that isn't very nice could do so much damage with that kind of power", holding out a hand to the blue monkey.

"I just don't believe I deserve it. If anyone should have received the power it should have been Kim. She'd do much better with it because she's just so much better at what we do and I would find some way to mess something, or her up. Like I always seem to do." Here Ron tilts his head forward, looking down as his body just sinks lower in his seat.

"Ron", spoke the brown haired man, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You're only human after all, mistakes are made, but we get through them and strive to get better, be better in the end", a gentle smile on his face. "A very good friend of mine made some big mistakes when we were on Earth. He didn't have my back when I needed him most. But he received forgiveness in the end, because he was sincere in his remorse about what he had done when I needed his help and he did great things with his life before he came to join me up here. What he achieved in the end was glorious.

"As for myself, I was full of doubts and fears about what I had to do before I came here. I was so afraid of what I was called upon to do that I asked to have the burden taken from me, cause it was just too much for one person to bear. In the end I relied on who and what I believed in and what I was there to do and accomplished it at the last."

"We all have doubts and fears, Ronald. It's part of being human. Each of us has them and has to deal with them. You just can't be consumed by them. To hesitate is not necessarily a bad thing, but too much of it can immobilize a person into not dealing with something at all", he concluded, as Ron closed his eyes to think on what he just heard.

"Now, some of your hesitation has kept Kim from rushing headlong into things before taking a very good look at what was before her. On many occasions your slowing her down has saved her from harm or worse. On the other hand, Kim's striving to do the best has impacted you in some ways too, hasn't it?", he went on as Ron knowingly nodded.

Continuing, "Some of the reasons you do what you do is to strive to be as good a friend, partner, boyfriend, and soon, as good a husband and father as you can be to her and your family. Am I right?", as once again Ron nodded looking at him again.

After a short time, the 'light being' spoke from his location at the gates. "Ronald, if you are worried about being corrupted like Montgomery Fiske, just remember that you are much different than the English Lord. Where his heart was already twisted and obsessed with the power that he craved from the mystical art for conquest, yours is still quite pure, and always will be. Your reluctance to accept the power based on your reasons are more than enough reassurance that you will not travel down that dark path as he did."

"Are you really sure about that?", asked the reluctant Monkey Master. At this all around the table began to gently chuckle, the kind heard among friends.

"Ronald, you do realize where you are and who some those around you are, as well as who I may be?", he was asked.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry. Just being random again. But I'm still worried about messing up or misusing the power", replied Ron as the proverbial light bulb went off overhead.

"No big. I mean, if you can't take my word on this, whose can you take?", came back the lighthearted reply, borrowing a familiar catch-phrase. "Now as to those last two worries, lets just say that for the first item, trust your heart, listen to your love, and all will be fine. As for the second worry, if you fully accept the mystical power right now with that heart of yours as it is you won't have that problem."

"Really? How is that possible?", questioned the now interested blonde.

"The mystical power in that form of Kung-fu is in itself a part of nature. Like all things in nature, it isn't good or bad, it just is. What is done with it is where the good or bad comes into the picture. Think of it as if it's a tool or weapon: it is only as good or as bad as whose hands it is in or whose heart is involved in using it. I've got it on good authority that there are no reasons for you to fear either of those things happening to you. That's not to say that you won't make mistakes, or not have dark days, that everything will be peaches and cream. You are human and not perfect. Just do your best as Kim will while each of you guide the other along the way. But remember to give counsel to the other when they need it most; and have the other's back in all things you do. Each of you will have instances when one will help keep the other from going too far while in the moment. This will help keep misuse of the power from happening."

"You are a human being and have a journey to make to your final destination. Your trials and tribulations are yours to encounter and overcome, and succeeding or the alternative, 'messing up', is a part of life. And you have a very special friend who will walk _beside you_ every step of the way to help you with this, as you will help her with her trials and doubts. Together both of you will deal with what comes your way, just pay attention to what you are doing and follow your hearts."

"Now as for your second concern. Your evil other self is not something that was naturally in you. At first it was an essence of someone else's concentrated evil, and then later it was the unnatural assembly of random bits from the rare, darker corners of your mind. The means of calling that out of you can't affect you if your pure heart is imbued in what it already possesses and is fused with that power. It will become an impenetrable shield to that version of yourself when it is fully embraced, whether you know it or not. You can be worried about a few things regarding that power, but corruption of the heart or Zorpox using them, much less coming back, won't be one of them. Especially if you fuse with the power tonight, right now."

"Really? How?", asked the confused young man.

"Well, when you offered your life for Kim's at the moment you did, right at midnight, Christmas morning, you made available that possibility for yourself. You, without regard to your own life, gave the ultimate gift to someone you love more than life itself right at the moment one of the holiest days on much of the Earth began. Consider it a 'Divine Intervention Gift' of sorts in return for what you, without hesitation, gave to her in that instant. If you do this while you are here now, your fears of Zorpox taking control of the power won't be possible, ever, and you will be taking large steps to enhance your abilities with that power."

After thinking on this for a bit, Ron said, "Ok, I'll do it. So what do I do now?"

"You and Tai Shing must stand together and embrace, as brothers-in-arms or loved ones would in a hug. Just open your heart and accept what he has to offer you, and the infusion of the mystical art into you will be complete. Oh, and close your eyes, it will be quite bright for a time", Toshimiru instructed Ron.

Moving off to the side of the bench, Ron and the blue monkey stood facing each other as the others stood in a loose circle around them. At first Ron looked a little timidly at the monkey, but eventually opened his arms to accept and hug the manifestation of the mystical power he had dodged completely for so long. Tai Shing, as a monkey would, leapt up into Ron's arms and they embraced in a gentle hug. As they did so, a soft blue glow started to form around them, brightening until it became a tremendously bright blue-white, edged in gold, supernova of light. All present looked on without shading their eyes. Then the light started to dim back into a soft blue glow, with only Ron standing alone, his arms hugging himself, a gentle smile on his face, swaying back and forth as if cradling a baby in his arms.

After a moment, Ron opened his eyes and looked around. His stance, erect, was that of someone comfortable within his body, loose yet alert. Grace, poise and self-assurance seemed to radiate from him as he stood there. His face was that of calm confidence with a serene smile on his face. His eyes glowed a light blue for a bit until they faded back to chocolate brown, a sparkle now present in them he didn't have until that instant.

Turning to Toshimiru, Ron bowed low to him as the Samurai, likewise bowed deeply back to Ron. He then turned to the men, women and light being and stood with his arms at his side, palms facing them and bowed to them as well.

"Wow! Now that was something. I've never felt anything like that, short of …well, you know.. Kim and I…", Ron trails off as he blushes quite heavily. Shaking his head to clear it, he continues.

"Yes, Ronald, it does feel somewhat like that when it is fully accepted", replied Toshimiru as Ron looked at him in surprise. "Hey, I may have been dead for some time and in Heaven, but I still remember what_ that_ felt like! Now do you feel the essence of Tai Shing Pek Kwar flowing freely through you? Are you comfortable with what you have fully absorbed?"

"Yes I do feel it flowing freely, and I am very comfortable with it all. Now that I finally feel what it is, I am somewhat ashamed that I have denied myself from receiving this gift because of my fears and doubts. It is so much a part of me and I can now do much more with Kim when I get back. It just excites me to think of how much better I can contribute to what we do and how much better I'll be watching her back", replied the surprisingly relieved, newest Monkey Master.

"Ronald,_ that_ is a big part of why you would never misuse this power. The other part comes from who you are and who you have in your life, especially who you love and loves you. Keep that in your heart and there will be balance in all things you take on in your life. But, remember, by no means does this suggest that you are a 'religious soldier' of any kind. You are to continue with your life as it is, doing what you and Kim believe is right, but you will be backed up by some amazing power at your disposal. We'll take care of what is ours to oversee", offered the light being.

"Now it is almost time for you to return and have KP's back. Now you will be and do so much more with this power backing you up. If you have any doubts or fears from here on out, don't hesitate to share them with your soulmate for all eternity. Likewise, let her know that you are always open to discuss hers as well. Heed each other's counsel and continue to do the works you do as Team Possible, and as husband and wife, father and mother, friend and family alike", continued the being of light.

"How will I be able to explain all of this to her when I get back? I'm not even sure of all that took place myself, even after accepting the mystical power, I'm still at a loss for words. And what about Rufus? He has some of the power too. Will there be anything to transfer to him as well? ", said the anxious young man.

"Don't worry about that. When the time comes, you'll know what to do, and all you have done and seen here with myself, Toshimiru, the deities and those who gave their lives to the good works in your world will be known to Kim. As for Rufus, he's a very extraordinary creature. Though he has mastered much of the power, you will know how to enhance it within him when you return."

"Yeah, about passing on knowledge and other parts of this. Will any of this that I fully accepted be passed along to Kim and our children, or beyond? I'm kind of curious about that, you know?"

"Yes, on all counts, there Ronald. Some of what you have embraced will be passed to Kim on your wedding night. Your children will receive this as well. It will grow within her as each day passes and you will both stand together, stronger than ever to perform the works you do as Team Possible. As for your children, you and she will be their guide as they grow up, the power growing within them in time. So be prepared for them and when that comes to pass", finished the light being.

"Ok, thanks."

"Oh, by the way, just a heads up for you: You and Kim will find out why it was so hard to get babysitters in the Possible home when she was a toddler. The MMP will just make it so much more interesting", teased the brown haired man in the rope-belted garment, as he smiled mischievously.

"Oh, boy. Can't wait for that…", trailed off the suddenly overwhelmed father-to-be, thinking of how rambunctious Kim was from the moment he met her and how much more she may have been before Pre-K. "Twins? Aw man!", he lamented as all around him gently laughed at his future predicament.

"Now, how do I get back to Kim and help save her? "

"Here's what will happen. You stand there, then all but myself assembled here will surround you in a group hug, as tight as we can make it. Close your eyes, think of who you love, count to five, open your eyes, react to what you see before you and you'll be ready to take the next steps in your lives. Oh, and one more thing. Before we start your return, take the scabbard from Toshimiru and strap it across your back Then accept the sword from him, clasping both hands around the grip, blade up, holding it in front of you at eye level. It is the Lotus Blade and it was sent here temporarily until you accepted your powers. It is yours to wield until it is passed on to the next Monkey Master", informed the being of light

"I knew that sword was the Lotus Blade. I was surprised to see it here and it not be in Yamanouchi."

"Yes, that's right. He was holding it until you accepted it. Now ready? Here comes the hug, close your eyes, think of who you love, count to five, and get ready for what you see when you open them. You are going to be sent back to just after you were brought here to us, so be ready for anything. That's all we are going to tell you. Ok?"

"Ok, and thank you all so much. I really appreciate it."

"Not at all, Ronald. Now are you ready?", to this Ron nodded in the affirmative.

"Alright, everyone close in and hug tightly. Now when you see Dementor again, mention to him that Hermann and his friends are waiting for him in_ their very warm bunker_ if he continues his life as it is right now. He'll get the message."

"Who is Hermann?", queried a very puzzled Ron.

"Don't worry, he's an old friend of his family", was the reply. "Now lets start your return to save your family's lives."

As all closed in on Ron, there began a glow of a bright blue-white light from within the circle, centered on Ron. Quickly it increased to a blinding white radiance not seen on Earth. After those five seconds, the bright light ceased, Ron was no longer standing at the Gates of Eternal Life. Now, armed with newly fused Mystical Monkey Power, the Lotus Blade and the love he has in his heart for her, he was on his way back to help protect Kim from the sitch she was currently in. Heaven help Dementor if KP and their children have been harmed.

----

To be concluded for Christmas Eve, I hope…


	3. Chapter 3 Christmas

**Kim Possible: Christmas Among Friends**

A/N: A mission on Christmas Eve that goes badly leads to a surprising intervention from friends of Team Possible.

Once again, thank you for your reviews and faves. No coal in the stockings to those who don't review, but I hope you enjoy this little tale. More egg nog all around for these guys: his eminence the **Pharaoh Rutin Tutin, Data Seeker, Gibsonmar, Ran Hakubi, Samurai Crunchbird,**the esteemed **General Quin, **my partner in Ronness **Limby, Drakonis Aurous, LTAOZFAN, Captain IT, Molloy, Lady Rhetorica, Mr. Wizard** and** fatherfigure1. ** I hope you all enjoy this tale and if you have any advice to offer, send it my way.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all the characters of the show are owned by the Disney Company. Any named items, movies or companies mentioned within are owned by their production companies. Any other characters created for this work of fiction are mine alone, except for those I'm 'borrowing' for this tale.

This is a strictly not-for-profit effort, and not intended to offend or upset anyone.

----

Chapter 3: Christmas

'_Could this Christmas get any more level 10 weirder?', ran through the mind of the 'formerly teen' hero Kim Possible. 'I mean, here it is Christmas Eve, Ron and I are going to get married tomorrow, I'm just over a month pregnant and Dementor just HAS to steal that stupid Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer ONE MORE TIME! And on top of that, he's put the thing into another laser cannon. Can't someone just please secure the darn thing better THAN THIS? Is THAT too much TO ASK?'_

'_Ok, head in the game, not in the hormone, that's what got me in this condition. And',_ shaking her head slightly, eyes closed, _'I've got to stop ranting like that. I sound like Drakken from his take over the world days',_ went through the redhead's mind as she made her way through the air ducts of Dementor's latest lair in the alps of Germany.'

'_I'd better calm down and get my bearings before going on. I'm glad Dementor goes first class when he builds a lair. He spends his money on pretty good quality material when building them. So it's a good thing for me that this duct is behind a heavily insulated wall, otherwise I would have given my location away several times with all the thrashing I'm doing in here. Just really can't hear too much of what is going on in that lair. I can feel some of the vibrations of the battle going on in there, but I really can't hear much ' _

"Rufus", she whispered, tapping the pocket the naked mole rat was curled up in. "Could you come out and work your way down the duct and find the vent I'll need to come through to get behind Dementor's laser cannon?"

"Hnk, yep. Fer sure, l'il mama", replied the little guy as he patted her on the hand and ran on ahead of her to do his recon up ahead for Kim.

"Oh no, you didn't! Not you too!", Kim hissed out as quietly as she could so close to Dementor, as her mole rat running point for her headed down the duct. "We are so going to have a talk when we get home about the way you guys are treating me since you learned about my pregnancy."

'_Ok, that does it! It's bad enough that Ron has gone complete overload overprotective on me and the baby, but now Rufus? This is so ferociously way too much! He's getting to be worse than my dad was after that last Rocket Booster Day I went to back in high school. When he realized I was growing up, the first thing he did was to ban me from boys so he felt safe about his little girl in a world that had boys in it.'_

'Sigh',_'Even after he saw me go off into space with a monkey pilot flying his experimental space ship, take down Monkey Fist, rescue Ron then fly AND land that experimental ship myself, he still thought of me as his 'little KIMMIE-CUB'!', mentally roared the now highly amped pregnant mom-to-be._

'_I'm not some delicate piece of glass to be constantly protected and hidden away from the world! I might be a little pregnant, but that's no reason yet to keep me out of the action as if I'm going to break every time I bump into something!'_, now Kim was really on a tear, when she suddenly paused.

"Heh, listen to me. Maybe he was onto something… this time", whispered Kim very softly to herself, a small smile on her lips. "A little pregnant? Heh. Yeah, he was definitely onto something." 'Mmmmpphh, snort' came from the frustrated heroine as she shook her head slightly from side to side.

"Ok, time to dial it down. I am a bit out of sorts with the hormone swings and I still have morning sickness to deal with. So, yeah, it may be for the best that I let Ron protect me from myself, and the bad guys… for now", she relented to herself about the overall sitch with her and her nearly husband, Ron.

'_It's really kind of nice that he's taking charge of my wellbeing since he learned about the baby. He's gone above and beyond taking care of me and really turned into Ron 'Stepupable' since we came back from my doctor's visit last week. He's been so sweet to me and has really started looking out for me, and us really, since that day. It's almost like the Lowardian thing all over again, just without the monkey power'_, here she frowns and her brow furrows a bit deeply.

'_Monkey power… Yeah, its still an issue with Ron, even after going 'Full Monkey Master' 3 years ago back home. For some reason he doesn't have the ability to fully access the mystical power he possesses and unleashed then. It's as if he doesn't want it, even after using it to save my life and the world from enslavement by the Lowardians. The power still 'comes and goes' as he puts it, but I'm not convinced that's completely true. I'm pretty sure the key to all of this is that he still is afraid he'll mess something up, that he is not capable of handling the MMP, or much less that he is deserving of having something like that.'_

'_I've tried to help him understand that he is so worth having the power; that if anyone deserves it, it was him. He has such a good heart and soul that he would never deliberately hurt anybody with the power. Yeah mistakes can be made, but that's no reason to not accept it fully, so he could train with it, or learn how to use it in missions better. He just has a major block about it, or just won't… Well, that's not exactly true, if I'm in any danger, he just goes Full 'True Blue' Monkey and rips right through whatever he finds as a threat to me.'_

'_Though it is nice to have such a guardian angel watching my back, he's going to have to realize that in most cases I can take care of myself and he should focus on the mission or task at hand and only step in for me as a last resort. I've tried again and again to get him to think in that way,, but that has been almost as frustrating as his 'on-again, off-again' monkey powers. After the wedding, we'll work on it.'_

"Wedding", she whispers, a wistful smile on her glowing face as she settles in her seat for a moment. "Wow, I'm marrying my best friend. A lot sure has happened in four years, most of it so ferociously good, some weird, some not so good. But when it's all said and done, I wouldn't trade all those years for anything; and besides, I _love weird!_ Yeah, I'm marrying my best friend for life, how many women can say that about the man they love?", sighing she lets a slow breath out.

'_Our wedding is going to be so beautiful , and I'm sure its going to be just perfect. The only glitch to this sitch is me coming down the aisle with a baby on the way. Daddy was pretty upset when he learned we were living together. Glad Mom helped out there for that, I owe her so much for smoothing things over then. But when he learned I was pregnant last week, I thought, wedding or no, Ron was on a one way trip to a wormhole.'_ Kim shrunk down at this remembrance.

'_I'm so glad Mom was there as well as Ron's parents to keep the potential for bloodshed low, but I was worried for Ron every time Daddy went into the garage and called for my BFBF to come and 'talk' with him. I think I heard an acetylene torch lighting each time Daddy went in there. Thank God, Mom put a stop to that after the third time he called Ron over to the door'_ , Kim shuddered here at the memory of that day.

"Well, being pregnant with Ron's child is something I don't regret, especially since it came as a result of comforting the man I so dearly love while he was working through his doubts about fully accepting the Mystical Monkey Power", Kim said gently with some conviction. "We did get soooo much closer as a couple after all that", she said while giggling lightly and blushing heavily.

At this point Rufus made his way back to Kim with his report.

"Follow me", said the mole rat to Kim. "Found vent. Behind cannon."

"Ok, lets go little guy, stay just ahead of me so you can show me. But when we get there, hop back into my pocket. I want to make sure I know where you are when this starts up. Ok?"

"Hnk, ok. L'il mama" tittered the smallest member of the team.

"Hey! Watch it buster, or I'm cutting your cheese rations when we get back home!", shot back the tweaked mood-swinging leader of Team Possible.

"Ok, sorry."

"Yeah? Well ok. Now lets go, lead the way."

Crawling slowly along the ducts Kim is able to look through some of the vents, out into the lair, and is amazed at what she can see. The lair is huge, lots of open space from one side to the other, and she can see glimpses of Dementor's layout on the side closest to her hidden passage through the walls of the lair.

As she pauses to look out at each vent, she sees the desk, and Christmas tree, she hears music in the air, mixed in with the short villain's ranting and her Ron's banter. Finally she sees and hears that laser cannon as it fires at the support beams her fiancé is hiding behind on the other side of the lair.

'_Wow, if ever there was a mission that I could have used my supersuit, this was it. But Dementor just had to get remote access control of the darn thing back in high school. Gee thanks Ron!',_ Kim harshed mentally as her mood swung again.

'_Thanks to the risk of him being able to control my suit remotely, it caused us to leave it at home in case helmet-head had a signal running in his lair to snag control of the thing again. After getting here, Wade's scans found Dementor did have a signal running that would have at least interfered with my full control of the suit, at most it would have allowed him to take the suit away from me like he did at Bueno Nacho, so we dodged a major bullet here.'_

After a bit more crawling down the duct, Kim and Rufus came to the vent she would break through behind the laser cannon.

"Ok Rufus, time to mount up, get in my pocket. Stay loose in there, you never know what'll happen with these things", Kim said, shifting gears, now in full mission mode.

"Hnk, ok", replied the smallest of the team as he scurried into a cargo pocket.

"Alright, I see Ron over by that support column. He looks a little tired from here, but it's show time and he'll make this distraction a good one so I can get behind Dementor and his 'waaayy overcompensating for something' laser cannon", snarked the tweaked heroine after she flashed her hair in the vent to signal Ron to start his last distraction of the night.

"There goes Ron. He's running completely away from this end of the lair to draw Dementor's fire so I can get in behind him. Time to go!", Kim said as she broke through the vent and leapt to the floor below.

After being in the quiet of the highly insulated HVAC duct, the sudden rush of noise smells and commotion in the lair assaults Kim's senses. After getting her bearings she ran at the back of the laser cannon, the plan being to surprise its operator and take him down as quickly and completely as possible. What no one in Team Possible figured on was Dementor having a trick up his short-long sleeved shirt: a force field barrier surrounding the laser cannon. Suddenly appearing in front of the heroine, she felt a shock and bounced off the screen to the side of the cannon and into the villain's view.

Stunned somewhat, Kim could not make out the music she learned was playing overhead, but could clearly hear the increasing-in-volume rant of the shortest supervillain in the Team Possible stable.

"Zo zhere you are, HERO-THIEF! I vondered where you vere. When I at first did not zee you mit your buffoon of a SUPPOSED BOYFRIEND in ze FRONT, I zhought it vould not be long FOR YOU TO APPEAR FROM BEHIND ME! Looks like I vas CORRECT, hence zhe shield TO PROTECT ME FROM AN AMBUSH BY YOU!", ranted the outdoor-voiced, height-challenged villain.

Clearly tweaked, Kim wasn't going to let this stand with anyone about her fiancé, nor was she going to let his accusation of her from that old talent show mission in high school remain unchallenged, either.

"He's not a buffoon Dementor! And he's going to be more than my boyfriend in a few hours. And as for the 'Hero-Thief' thing: You know this was taken care of when I was in high school and we proved, without a doubt that Drakken was responsible for tricking me into 'reacquiring' that Transportulator from you. Now if you please, just give up and hand over that Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, we've got a wedding to attend! OURS! And IT'S CHRISTMAS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!", hormones now in full tweak overdrive, she rose and planted her clenched fists on her hips. By now she can hear the music of Elvis' rendition of "Blue Christmas" being played in the lair.

"_**But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas"**_

"Sctealing, reacquiring, tomato, tomahto. Makes no DIFFERENCE TO ME! And as for the Inducer, not a chance MY LITTLE LIEBCHEN! Zince I cannot hit that verdamnt BUFFOON OV YOURZ, I guess I'll HAVE TO ZETTLE FOR YOU INZTEAD!", yelled the helmeted villain as he swung his cannon over to point at the red-headed hero who froze at the realization that there was more than her own life at stake right now.

'_Oh no! This is what we were afraid of happening! _

"You haf seen what zis cannon can do to all zhat I HAF HIT IT WIT, zo you can only IMAGINE vat vill HAPPEN ven IT HITS YOU!", he continued as he began to fire at Kim, standing right in front of the laser cannon, not 20 feet away from its muzzle.

"_**You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,"**_

'_Oh my gosh! That's a big cannon. What's the matter with me? Why can't I move from here? I've never felt like this before. What's wrong WITH ME?'_

From off to the side, Kim heard her partner attempt to distract Dementor from firing the cannon at the target so close to its muzzle.

"Yo, hey Dementor! Which dwarf was your favorite in 'Snow White'? I bet it was Grumpy since you both have the same personality! Was he like your great-great grandfather or something?"

With no change in Dementor's aim, Kim heard Ron try one more time to get him to point the cannon away from her.

"Hey Demenz! How is it that this lair is so huge and I can hear you from way over here just like we are standing a few feet away from each other?"

"Ze ACOUSTICS!", was all Kim heard as she saw Dementor reach for the trigger, intending to end her life in the next second. Kim then got a glimpse of a blue glow from across the lair floor.

"_**But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas"**_

In the next instant, Kim saw Ron standing directly in front of her, glowing blue and standing tall, facing the cannon, his arms out wide, shielding her from the laser blast struck his MMP-charged body. At this point Kim's eyes scrunched shut, the light in the lair was brighter than any light she ever remembered seeing up to that point. She later learned from Wade that the laser blast and the grandfather clock struck Midnight simultaneously. The noise of the explosion was tremendous and she had to clamp her hands over her ears as tightly as she could, but it was too little against so much.

Blinking her eyes to recover from the flash she was exposed to, as the ringing in her ears diminished, Kim started to hear the grandfather clock's chimes and tones in the background. She began searching for her fiancé but he was not to be seen. Desperation started to fill her being as she frantically started calling out for him, hoping he'd return her call.

"Ron? Ron, where are you?", she called out as she began to search for him. Rufus, hearing Kim's pleas, came out of the cargo pocket he was curled up in to help with the search, to no avail.

After a short while it became apparent that Ron was nowhere to be found. The clock finally coming to the end of it's song marking the hour, it slowly began to chime the countdown to Twelve O'clock. "Blue Christmas" finishing as the music paused a bit before going to the next tune. At this point, Kim could not hear anything else as her focus was on the loss of her life-long love. She was oblivious to the music playing overhead and the tones the clock was sounding out in its slow march to Twelve O'clock.

Her panic rising as her tears began sliding down her cheeks, her search for Ron got quite frantic as she called out for him. Quite evident the lack of her BFBF, Kim fell to her knees, calling out for him.

"Please Ron, where are you? Don't do this to me! I need you. We.. need you. Please…. come…back to… me….to.. us. I.. we… love…you" , she cried out in soulful pain and deep despair as her sobs turned to wails of sorrow as she hugged herself, holding her hands over where their baby was starting to grow within her. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

Dementor, his plan to rid himself of the young thorns in his side in culmination, sent one last taunt to the devastated young woman.

"YES! I've finally rid the VORLD of zhat PESKY BUFFOON ZIDEKICK! Once and for all, HE'Z GONE! Now to finish OFF ZHE HERO-THIEF AS VELL! I vill let my cannon fully recharge ZO I can be zure MY HANDIWORK IZ COMPLETE! Please give my regards to HIM VHEN YOU ZEE HIM AGAIN Oh, and by zhe vay, MERRY CHRISTMAS FRAULEIN POSSIBLE!"

Amidst the evil joyous laughter of the little helmeted villain and the swinging of the laser cannon into realignment for another point-blank shot on the red-headed super hero, came one last cry from her as the cannon was recharging:

"No! Not today! Please, not today! Dear God please, not today!", came shuddering from Kim as she tearfully looked upward to the heavens. Her green eyes shimmering in the lights as she quietly whispered. "We love you Ron."

The cannon flashed once more, the room lit up as brightly as ever as the clock struck it's twelfth tone. It was at this point, Kim relaxed and awaited her fate as her senses tuned into her surroundings. Her hearing came back into play as she heard what she thought would be the last sounds she would hear in this life as she closed her eyes for what she feared would be for the last time on Earth. Just before she would see Ron again, but in the afterlife/

ZZzzzztttttttt! BOOOMMMM!!!/----Bong!---

"_**Sleep in Heavenly Peace"**_

After a few seconds of nothing…. then, confusion, Kim realized she felt no pain, that she didn't feel much differently than she did before.. the cannon fired. She did feel some of the static electricity about her that came from the discharge of the laser cannon (her hair was going to be such a mess from the static) and she sensed she was still on her knees on a very hard surface.

Her hearing gradually returned and she could once again hear herself breathing, the hum of the laser cannon, the white-noise static of the sound system as the blast, so close to it, had knocked it offline. She also could hear the crackling of an energy she couldn't quite place, the utterance of "Vas izt los?", the sucking in of a huge breath of air and the familiar cry of a precious someone she had feared was lost to her just moments ago"

"**BOOYAAAAHHH!**"

Eyes still closed, Kim slowly opened them and before her was someone she thought she'd not see again in this life: Ronald Dean Stoppable, standing so very tall and strong, just a few feet away, between her and Dementor's laser cannon.

Surrounded by a brightly glowing blue sphere of immense power, with a very large shield held in front of him with both hands. He turned slightly to Kim and asked:

"Kim, are you ok? Did he hurt you or the babies? I'd like for you to sit this one out, if that's ok with you. Ok?"

Stunned at this sudden reappearance of someone she thought vaporized just minutes earlier, she just nodded in the affirmative, then shook her head in the negative and then the affirmative once again. Her eyes wide, her mouth open in shock, surprise and awe of what she saw before her, she completely missed the specifics of his questions.

As is the case with Ron, in the heat of the moment he took her answers to his questions out of order. Turning to the littlest villain in Team Possible's inventory, his face took on a very hard look, the shield suddenly turning into a katana, his sphere's aura glowing brighter, sparks flying, as he called out one more time.

"Rufus, could you come over here, please?"

Scrambling from an area behind Kim, the mole rat scurried over to Ron and climbed up to his shoulder. Once there, Ron extended a hand in front of him and his naked buddy hopped onto the palm. A glow surrounded Ron's palm and Rufus before he spoke to his little buddy again.

"Help Kim get somewhere safe away from this cannon. Then when you can, call Wade and between the two of you, find a way to disable Dementor's force field. You know how you can get in there, right?", he asked while giving the little mole rat a knowing look and a wink. "Just find the right tool. Remember the cacti, ok? Then get out of there after you signal me, ok?"

"Hnk, oh yeah! Pop! Fsssss, vwooom… vwoooom!", mimicked the little SFX mole rat as he ran down Ron's body and hopped over to his big buddy's lady.

"Kim-Kim. Come please", he said as he lead the still stunned team leader over to a spot behind a column out of the line of fire of the cannon.

"Now Dementor, forget about me for the moment, I'd like to talk to you about your trying to kill my family", started the soon to be husband and father as he placed the tip of his sword to the floor and leaned on it as one would a cane. "What do you have to say about yourself?"

"Vhere zhe heck DID YOU COME FROM? I zaw you vaporized vith mein OWN EYES just TWO MINUTES AGO! And vhat's vit zhat BLUE GLOW OF YOURZ?", ranted the incredulous little man.

"Yeah, about that. Let's just say courtesy of your little toy and some new friends of mine, I was given the opportunity to complete a task I was afraid to take care of three years ago", came the calm steady voice of a self-assured Ron Stoppable. Behind him he heard a very audible gasp from his bride-to-be.

"Vhat are you TALKING ABOUT? VHAT friends, VHERE? Vhat TALK?"

"Next time you see Fiske, ask him about his obsession, and watch what happens when you tell him what you've seen today if you don't surrender or if you continue to fire that thing at Kim or anyone else I care about."

While keeping Dementor distracted, Ron could see Rufus slide out of an air duct behind the cannon. The mole rat disappeared behind the cannon as Ron continued.

"As for my friends, lets just say they are in high places and one of them sends you a message."

"Ach, as if I care about FRIENDS OF YOURZ, and I don't care ABOUT ANY ZTINKIN' MEZZAGE! Eat laser YOU BUFFOON!", ranted Dementor as he took another shot at Ron.

Seeing the laser charge up, Ron's aura brightened as he slid under the muzzle to his left, changing the Lotus Blade into a shield once again. Swinging the cannon over towards Ron's latest position Dementor fired but the blast was deflected upward into the lair ceiling. Ron kept this up for about a minute. He'd bounce or flash to one side of the lair, draw Dementor's fire and deflect the shot with the Lotus Blade, either as a sword or as a shield to an area free of family members and then move to another part of the lair to do it all over again. All the while, Demenz was cursing and screaming for the Monkey Master to hold still so he could zap him.

During all of this, Kim was watching from behind her column and was amazed at what she saw.

'_Wow! Looks like Ron has finally accepted all of the mystical power! Just look at him zipping all over the lair and deflecting those laser shots with his sword. Yeah, that's the Lotus Blade he described to me after high school graduation. Even though he was nearly a Full Monkey Master, he was somehow unable to call it to him. It must have been because of the block he was having all this time. He has really stepped up here, and I'm just so proud of him'_, mused the relieved and amazed KP sighing from her ringside seat to her fiancé's display of his MMP prowess.

After watching Ron flash in no time flat, from the far end of the lair to a spot about 50 feet in front of the cannon, with her essentially behind the device, she wondered about the kind of distraction he was up to and if he could continue it for much longer.

Meanwhile, Ron was wondering how things were going with Rufus and his disabling the force field around Dementor and the laser cannon. A few times he checked to see if it was down every now and then by deflecting a laser blast directly at the villain and his weapon. So far, no joy as each blast bounced off the shield. Finally he saw the signal he was waiting for, so after sending a deflected blast into Dementor's water closet, he placed himself 50 feet away from the cannon and held up a hand, then he pointed towards where the last blast ended up. At this, Dementor stopped firing and saw that Ron had essentially blown up his bathroom. To say the least, he was a little put out about that.

"HEY, zhat vas MEIN PRIVY!. You're going to PAY FOR ZHAT!'

"Yada yada, yada. Yeah, yeah, I'll pay for that. Put it on my tab, ok?"

"Ja, ja, ja. OK, zo vhat do YOU VANT NOW, you little…?"

"Now, now, be nice, there's a lady, with child present", admonished the keeper of the G-rating of this latest attempt on his and Kim's lives.

"Oh? Vell OK!"

Blushing, Kim just gently shook her head from side to side. _'He's in rare form tonight. Can't wait to see where this goes'_

"Ya know, Dementor, I was just thinking..."

"Ja, I know how dangerous it GETS VHEN YOU DO ZHAT!", came the shot.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, heard it all, own the t-shirt, bought the rant from an 'only sold on TV' infomercial. You know the deal."

"Jawohl!"

"Anyway, I was thinking about one of my favorite movie arcs, 'Stellar Battles' and how the good guy, when he finally accepted his legacy, mostly fought the bad guys with a light saber, like so", rambled Ron as he suddenly changed his sword into a light saber. "And he ended up having to fight an ultimate bad guy who just happened to wear a helmet… like you, for instance..."

"Not bad", commented Dementor on the transformation of the sword. "But does zhat make ME YOUR FAZHER?", came the next shot at the musing science-fiction fan.

"Not by a long shot, you poor excuse for a psychotic Deutscher Leprechaun! Now stop interrupting me as I continue with a little rant of my own", roared the ticked off monkey master.

"Zorry", came back the chagrinned villain.

"Ok, now where was I?"

"You vere talking about A HELMET?"

"Oh yeah dude, thanks."

"No PROBLEM!"

"Anyway, the hero would do some fantastic things with that light saber. He could fight other light saber wielding bad guys, or cut through practically anything with it, even deflect laser or blaster shots fired at him. I bet it could even deflect a shot from a cannon like yours even from this close with no problems." Kim's gasp could be heard throughout the lair at Ron's latest topic of discussion.

"Zo you think you can deflect a blast from my PDVI POWERED LASER CANNON, do you ZIDEKICK?"

"Yeah, in fact, I know I can. Just call me Ron Stopwalkabler." At this point the monkey master's pants went groundward. "Ah man, so much for the dramatic effect." From over to the side, Ron heard Kim guffawing and snorting as he pulled his pants up and secured them a bit better with his halfiversary belt..

"Anyway, lets just overlook that little bit of comedy and get back to the dramatic moment at hand, shall we?"

"Do ve HAF TO?"

"Yeah, just humor me, ok?"

"Ja, ok. SpoilSPORT!'

"Anyway, continuing on now. What do you want to bet?"

"Vell, if you can do zuch a thing, I'll think about ZURRENDERING TO YOU! How about ZHAT?"

"Works for me. If not, then we walk away free and clear. What say you?"

"You must be a JOLLY JOKER, if you think you ARE GOING TO WALK AWAY FROM ZIS! But, Ja, what zhe heck, I'M GAME!"

"Now are you ready?", asked Ron as he looked to Dementor, then shifted his eyes a bit to his little buddy stationed by a switch on a table next to the cannon. Rufus was flashing a thumbs up to his friend, while twirling Kim's laser lipstick in the other paw.

"Ja, as your generation putz it, I am ZO READY!", came the reply as Rufus nodded his head and Dementor reached for his firing mechanism.

Sometime later, Wade would have to 'go to tape' from all the surveillance cameras in the lair to get a complete picture of what happened next.

Rufus flipped a switch on the table then disappeared behind the laser cannon. Dementor fired a large laser blast at Ron. A brightly glowing blue, aura'd Ron held his 'light saber' like a baseball bat and swung at the laser ball coming at him. Connecting with the laser bolt, Ron drove a line drive straight into the laser cannon which blew up, sending Dementor to the ground and to the side near Kim's position. After shaking his head, Dementor staggered to a standing position. He noticed her and held up a laser pistol which he pointed at Kim, moving to her as he looked over to Ron.

"Zo ZIDEKICK. You may haf blown up my PRIVY undt mein LASER CANNON, but I ztill haf zhe upper HAND, NO?"

"Undt ze little mole rat had better ztay vhere HE IZ, ALZO!", he said as Rufus stopped advancing from behind Dementor.

"You do anything to hurt her or any of my family, it will be the last thing you'll ever regret, Dementor", Ron replied, his voice low and steady.

"I don't zhink you are in a POZITION TO THREATEN ME! Zo you'd better just surrender now and MAKE IT EAZIER ON YOURZELVEZ!"

After looking over to Kim, Ron settled his gaze on Dementor.

"Before any of us agree to anything, there's a message I received from my friends that you really should hear before you do anything you will really regret later. No distractions, just something you need to listen to and consider before doing anything rash, ok?"

"Maybe. But vhat mezzage are YOU TALKING ABOUT? From WHO?"

"That you may very well figure out on your own, but here it is: '_Hermann and his friends are waiting for him in their very warm bunker if he continues his life as it is right now'_ An old friend of the family, I was told."

"VHAT? Hermann…. Hermann. Oh Ja, zhat Hermann", trailed off the little jaundiced villain, as his complexion lightened up some. "How do you know about him? You could have looked zis up on your internet. Even if zis is zo, how do I believe zat zis is true? Vhat reassurances do I have zat you are not pulling my leg? Zat you are not lying?" His voice still low and suspicious.

"Well, if you will let me come to you and, no this is not a trick", Ron said as he started toward Dementor.

"Ok, now vhat?", as Ron approached.

"Just let me get beside you. Now close your eyes and relax. I'm not going to do anything to you while you are holding that laser pistol on KP, I promise. Ok?"

"Ja, but no tricks."

"No tricks. Now just stand there, close your eyes and clear your mind, then wait. You'll see what I was told you needed to know." Ron's eyes looked over to Kim and glanced to a spot of safety for Kim to move to for the moment.

While this was going on, Kim quietly ducked down and silently moved behind another support beam where she waited, completely out of the line of fire from Dementor's pistol. Rufus crept noiselessly to a position behind the villain if needed.

By now Dementor was getting impatient as usual and started to complain, then he paled, shook and started to scream when his mind focused on what he received from beyond.

"Nein, nein, no, pleaze no!', he began to rant over and over again. Dementor started shaking uncontrollably at what came into view in his mind. After a few more seconds his demeanor went from panic and fear to pure rage.

"Zis iz zome TRICK! I vill not believe something like zis haz happened! You are going to pay for zis and the first to receive payment iz your little GIRLFRIEND!", he shouted as he took a shot at where he last saw Kim standing.

As the laser blast went through the spot Kim had been standing, Ron grabbed the villain's free hand and began to squeeze until bones started to pop, causing Dementor to cry out in pain as he fell to his knees before Ron. The sword in his other hand swung in an arc, slicing the laser pistol in half in Dementor's other hand.

"ACH, MY HAND! Hey watch out vith ZAT ZWORD! VHAT ARE YOU DOING? I though you zaid no TRICKS?"

"Yeah, I did, and I meant it. You on the other hand didn't live up to your end of the bargain, just like you didn't when you failed to surrender after I broke your cannon."

"Hey, I vas vorking vit vhat I had at ze time. You can't fault A GUY can YOU?"

"When it comes to KP or my family, I can. You stepped way over a line today. I plan to see that you receive punishment for that transgression, and the only option here is to send a message, which, by the way, is you." Shaking in a rage of his own Ron pulled Dementor to his feet and drew back the Lotus Blade. His aura starting up again, the room lighting up as his glow intensified.

With the tip of the sword at chest level on the villain, "Any last words before you join your buddies in their eternal bar-b-que?"

"Nein, NO! Please don't! You are one of zhe good guyz, you just don't do zhees zhings!", Dementor started as he began to beg.

Ron just looked at the pitiful wretch of a man as he paused the tip of the Blade over the villain's heart. He looked deep into the eyes of a man who was just seconds away from ceasing to be as the thoughts of the day's mission ran through his head.

The multiple attempts taken on his life, the up close and personal attempts made on Kim and his children by this power mad gnome. As each second passed, Dementor shrunk as he saw the rage building in the eyes of the so-called buffoon, the supposed boyfriend of the redheaded thorn in his villainous side.

Just as Dementor's 'angel of death' was about to drive his blade home, a hand slowly appeared over Ron's s sword arm and gently rested on his shoulder.

"Ron?", said Kim, her voice low and calm. "Please don't do this. This..." extending her free hand to the cowering villain, "isn't you, you don't do things like this. You aren't like this."

"Kim, even if he goes to prison, one way or another, he'll still get out and try this again. Maybe he'll get lucky next time, or sometime down the road. He could kill you or one of our children, even me. With all that I love, I just don't want to risk that any more. I just can't, there's too much to lose any more", replied the sword master, totally focused on the eyes of the ever shrinking supervillain. Ron's glow shimmering, the blade now vibrating as it hovered over Dementor's heart. The villain now quaking in fear, closed his eyes and just waited for the end.

"This way, he won't ever be able to do this. He can't come back from where he'll be sent; that much I've learned about him in the path he has chosen for his life. I just can risk having him or others like him take you or our babies away from us… or me", reasoned the young man.

"I understand your fears on this. I've had them for years about you on these missions. Before I realized that I loved you, I was so afraid of you being taken away from me. My best friend in the whole world. Just gone because of an accident or something a villain or henchman did that took you from me. I didn't think I could accept this and it almost drove me crazy", cautioned the lady of his life.

"Then when I fell in love with you, it got so much more intense, that it almost consumed me. I thought I was going to explode wondering about the 'what if' nightmares dealing with the possibilities of you being lost in what we do."

"One day, I realized that I can't get stuck on what could happen, what I could lose. Instead I started to cherish who and what I had with me. I finally came to a peaceful agreement within my soul that I would somehow accept what came and I would love and take care of all that I had and never again take anything or anyone for granted. Never!"

"After that day, I never felt alone or afraid of what would or could happen with what we do. That's not to say that I won't be any less fierce in protecting you or our family. I'm asking you to at least think about it, and not do what you are about to do. Can you do this? For us? For me? For our children?"

"It's something that I'll have to wrap my mind around, in time. But can you give me at least one good reason why I should not remove this cold-blooded slime from his existence to make sure he doesn't do to our family what I fear? Or why I shouldn't send a message to all the others who want to do the same?", asked the fearful, forward-looking husband and father-to-be.

"I can give you one reason, for sure, Ron."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Christmas", Kim softly replied as Ron flinched.

"That's it? Isn't there any other reason to not do this?", now trying to regain ground lost in the discussion.

"Isn't that enough? You know that by itself should be enough. Think about what today is all about and what you are about to do", here Ron's head tilts down slightly, exhaling a small breath.

"As for other reasons, I can think of several. But for argument's sake I can offer one more: this isn't you. Deep down you know this isn't right. You know that if you just came back from where I believe you had been earlier tonight, then you absolutely _know_ this isn't right. It'll be a wrong that you won't be able to take back on a very holy day and even though you may save us today, in the end you won't save yourself."

"Please, put down the sword. Let's tie Dementor up and leave him for GJ to pickup when we're done here. Ok?", Ron nods and lowers his sword, but keeps it ready just in case; his glow diminished quite a bit by now. Dementor releases a breath that allows him to deflate to the ground, but makes no movements to bring the steel back into play with him.

Kim moves to his side and continues. "I want to go home with you, open presents with you, walk down the aisle to you, walk up the aisle with you, lay beside you, spend the rest of my life with you, give birth to and raise our children with you, and finally, grow old with you before spending all eternity with you. I just don't believe that will happen if you end his, or any other villain's life this way." As she is saying this she moves herself and him to where they are now facing each other, eyes locked by the time she is done.

"But most importantly, remember: Christmas. If not the day itself, then what it means in spirit to so many on this planet. Just think about it ok? Then please, if not for me, do it for yourself."

"Ok Kim…. Rufus, get some wire. Kim and I are going to truss up Dementor for GJ to take with them to prison. We'll need Wade to scan for gadgets or more before then."

"Ok, be right back", as the mole rat went to search for the necessary material.

Kim and Ron stood guard over a visibly relieved Dementor until Rufus returned with the cable needed to secure him. Wade's scans helped them remove any and all gadgets from the villain which could be used to escape Team Possible or GJ.

With their quarry secured, and Rufus standing guard with Kim's laser lipstick, Kim and Ron walked, hand in hand, a short distance away to retrieve the PDVI and talk about the night's events.

"Ron, I'm so proud of you. You finally accepted your mystical power and used it so ferociously well in dealing with Dementor. The way you used it and the Lotus Blade, was just so amazing. It was unbelievable the way you went all over the lair, dodging and deflecting those laser blasts", she continued, squeezing his hand in hers affectionately.

"But I am so very proud of how you kept yourself from taking Dementor's life in the end. I can believe that was so hard for you to do after what he did tonight. I'm glad that you didn't follow through on that impulse. I was just afraid that it would have affected you so badly if you had done that", Kim finished here by reaching up and cupping Ron's cheek.

"Thank you Kim. I don't know what to say about much of this, but I hope I can find the way to get you to understand. I was told by those I met that when it was time to explain this to you that I'd know the way and you'd know all about what happened with me earlier tonight", at this the glow of the Lotus Blade in Ron's free hand surges.

"Oh! Kim, I think I now know how to tell you about tonight, when I was away from here and some other stuff you need to know. Now stand and face me. Give me your hand and I'll give you one of mine. Now place my hand to your heart and cover it with your other hand while I do the same", Ron instructs her as he places the sword in the scabbard on his back.

Kim and Ron place their hands accordingly. "Now what?", she asks.

"Now, while holding our hands this way, we close our eyes and wait for what we will see in our minds and hearts. Ok"

"Ok Ron."

At first nothing happens, but then a light blue glow surrounds their hands held over each one's heart. From there the glow spreads until it encompasses them completely. The glow stays a soft blue and holds at a moderate brilliance, flickering every so often.

In the glow, Kim's face takes on a series of expressions as she learns of where Ron was earlier tonight, what he saw, experienced and learned from the 'people' present in his ethereal journey.

From the jaw-dropping surprise, shock and awe of her learning who he met and where he met them, Kim's expression changed to quick realization and warm, maternal bliss. Tears lightly tracking down her cheeks as her blush increased, slightly biting on her lower lip from the news of her new additions. She almost squealed at the knowledge of the fact that she would be carrying more than one child into the world later next year.

Abruptly, Kim's face took on a sheepish expression at the admonishment she felt of her and Ron acting a bit sooner than their wedding night on starting a family, but this was followed up by a look of relief and reprieve by the two who were shortly going to make up this family.

Astonishment came to Kim's features when she learned that she was going to receive a portion of Ron's powers, as would their children. Then extreme joy as she learned, not only would they be each other's counsel and soulmates in the whole of this, but would do so for all eternity. At this, more tears trickled from her closed eyes to join those already soaking her shirt.

Then finally, Kim's face took on a look of relief, warmth and love she had in her heart for her partner, their children, all of their friends, family and those she and Ron have helped all these years.

At this point, the blue glow surrounding them had been dissipating and was now fading completely, leaving the two of them standing there, holding a hand over their hearts, with a warm smile on each face.

After a bit, Kim opened her eyes, looked at Ron and said: "Wow Ron! That was so … I mean.. just… Oh I can't.. What are we going to tell our folks when we get home? I don't know where to begin."

"Well, Kim, I'm not sure of the details, but I'm sure we can get the idea across if we try as one to explain it to our folks. Together, we really can do anything!"

Now a GJ hoverjet was arriving to take Team Possible to the airbase so they could take the hypersonic return flight back home. Dementor was to be sent to a holding facility until extradition, while the PDVI was kept in Team Possible's hands until they returned it to Dr. Director in Colorado.

As they walked hand-in-hand to their pickup, Kim turned to Ron and asked: "Ron, by any chance, did any of the people you met up there_haaappennn_ to mention what sex the babies were?"

Shaking his head in the negative, he replied: "No Kim, they didn't. About the only thing I learned from them about the babies was that there were to be twins and I'd learn what your parents went through with trying to get repeat business with babysitters."

Here he stopped and shouted, "Aw man! I can remember what you were like at 4 years old and if you were considered 'mellow' then, it must have been something to see you before that time. Oh no! I just realized, they'll have my monkey powers too! Oh be afraid, be very afraid!", he exclaimed.

Shaking his head as they walked out of the lair, Kim reached up to cup a cheek and pulled Ron's face to hers as she warmly kissed him on the lips. "Don't worry about that Ron. After all, you're marrying the girl who can do anything. We'll get a handle on them, no matter how rambunctious they will be or how much power they will have."

"You think so?", begged the soon to be harried father.

"I know so. You're going to get lots of practice dealing with a monkey powered pregnant wife who is really just starting her mood swings and cravings, so the kids will be a snap", assured the hero who knew of what she spoke.

As this dawned on Ron, Kim kissed him once more on the lips, slapped him on his backside and called out: "Race you to the hovercraft!"

Staggering a bit before continuing on, Ron called out. "Wait a minute KP! What do you mean _just starting_?"

Hearing nothing, Ron tried again. "KP, come on! Tell me you were just kidding!"

The only sounds he heard filtering back to him was Kim's laughter.

----------

Well, this ends my first completely solo attempt at a tale. I hope it was enjoyed by those who stopped by to read this and if you leave a review, I thank you ahead of time. If not, then I hope all went well for you anyway.

Offered in the spirit of a gift to those of you, either as writers, beta's readers and/or reviewers, who have contributed to this particular portion of the Fanfiction website, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Until next time. Good night and have a very good life!

----------

"Blue Christmas" Words and Music by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson, 'sung here' by Elvis Presley

"Silent Night" written by Joseph Mohr.


End file.
